The invention is based generally on a wiper apparatus. In a wiper apparatus of this type in the prior art (German Patent Application DE 19 75 78 72.1, as yet unpublished), the support shoulder and the interception shoulder are intended to absorb the centrifugal force that acts on the wiper blade during wiping operation, so that the hinge between the wiper blade and the wiper arm is entirely relieved relative to this force. Since for mounting the wiper blade on the wiper arm, the wiper arm has to be swiveled away from the window, difficulties arise ifxe2x80x94for instance for the sake of vehicle body stylingxe2x80x94the swivel joint is concealed by the vehicle body, thus blocking or restricting the swiveling motion.
In the wiper apparatus according to the invention, it is possible to remove the wiper blade from the wiper arm or mount it on it without performing a swiveling motion of the wiper arm beforehand, since once the shoulder or shoulders have been moved out of the opposed position, it is possible to pull the wiper blade off the wiper arm away from the pendulum shaft. This is true particularly for the hinge connection, shown in the exemplary embodiment, between the wiper blade and the wiper arm, in accordance with which a hinge peg of the wiper blade is supported in a bearing fork of the wiper arm that is open in the pull-off direction. Furthermore, the expensive swivel joint can be omitted
For production reasons, it is advantageous to dispose the support shoulder that is solidly connected to the wiper arm on the coupling piece associated with the wiper arm, and to dispose the interception shoulder associated with the wiper blade on the coupling part associated with the wiper blade of the connection device.
A wiper apparatus of compact structure is obtained if the support shoulder and the interception shoulder are disposed between the pendulum shaft and the pivot axis.
An especially simple arrangement of the support and interception shoulders can be accomplished if in a feature of the invention the coupling piece associated with the wiper arm has a wall, located in a plane vertical to the window and extending substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the wiper arm, which wall is adjacent to a surface of the coupling part associated with the wiper blade, and if furthermore the support shoulder is embodied on the wall and the interception shoulder is embodied on the surface.
In a connection device of very shallow design, the invention can be realized if the coupling piece associated with the wiper arm, transversely to the longitudinal axis of the wiper arm, has a U-shaped cross section; if furthermore disposed in each of the legs of the U of this coupling piece is a respective bearing receptacle for a bearing peg of the coupling part associated with the wiper blade, which dips between the legs of the U of the coupling piece associated with the wiper arm; and if finally the inside of at least one leg of the U forms the wall that is provided with the support shoulder.
Expediently, the coupling part associated with the wiper blade has a base body, on which the two bearing pegs are disposed in such a way that they have a common pivot axis, and furthermore at least one face of the base body forms the surface that is provided with the interception shoulder.
If both the support shoulder and the interception shoulder have a course that is curved about the axis of the hinge, and the respective radius of curvature corresponds to the respective spacing from the pivot axis, a comparatively large-area contact of the two shoulders with one another results, which reduces their wear.
An especially simple, economical embodiment of the invention is achieved if one end of one of spring tongues, which are deflectable substantially in the direction of the pivot axis, is retained on the base body, and the interception shoulder is disposed on the free ends of the spring tongues.
To further simplify the invention, the base body is made from a spring-elastic plastic, and the spring tongue provided with the interception shoulder is integrally joined to it.
An especially simple version of the invention, because it has no additional components, results if a slit open at the edge toward the shoulder is present in the region of the interception shoulder between the base body and the spring tongue, the width of which slit is greater than the effective width of the interception shoulder.
In certain applications it can be advantageous if a plurality of support shoulders and interception shoulders are disposed on each of the two coupling elements.
If one support shoulder is embodied on each of the two legs of the U of the coupling piece associated with the wiper arm, which legs fit over the base bodies of the coupling part associated with the wiper blade, and furthermore a spring tongue provided with the interception shoulder is disposed on each of the two sides, adjacent the legs of the U, of the base body, an especially operationally reliable connection between the wiper blade and the wiper arm is obtained as a result of the double detent locking thus achieved.
According to the refinement of the invention, the two components of the connection device are separable from one another with a simple linear pulling-off motion oriented away from the pendulum shaft.
Especially simple conditions for this kind of pull-off or slip-on motion result if forklike bearing receptacles, associated with the hinge peg, have opening slits, pointing away from the pendulum shaft, outward on the coupling piece associated with the wiper arm, into which slits the bearing pegs of the coupling part associated with the wiper blade can be introduced.
Further advantageous refinements and features of the invention are disclosed in the ensuing description of an exemplary embodiment shown in the associated drawing.